Key Stats
📍Location: Pwll Du, Gower. Wales.
🌡Sea Temperature:~8.9°C (seatemperature.info)
⏰️ Time in the water: ~2.5mins (estimate)
The Story
I was back home in Wales for Christmas and managed to get myself down to Pwll Du bay for a swim on Boxing day. Despite spending my childhood exploring this part of the Gower, we took a route that I wasn’t too familiar with which ended up getting us quite lost and scrambling through brambles! Just goes to show that even in places you think you know really well you can always find a new perspective and create a microadventure. Having to backtrack, we eventually made it down through the valley, at which point the heavens opened and the rain started coming down really heavy. With our clothes soaked, we walked through the woods and onto the beach and braced ourselves to become even more cold.
🏊♂️ Experience
This was my first swim in the sea since October and my body noticed the lack in consistency. SeaTemperature.info claims a temperature of 8.9°C but it certainly felt colder. I breathed through the shock and kept swimming to stay warm. After a few minutes I could sense that I was close to overcoming the shock phase and could potentially hold my ground a bit longer. However, fear of getting into cold clothes – which were now soaking wet from the rain – made me rush out. Despite the short time in, it felt great to be back in the sea and even better to warm up with a hot flask!
Wild Swimming Diaries
If I had access to do so, I would aim to swim in the sea every day and observe how the seasons’ change and my body adapts. I’m certain this routine would do wonders for my mental health and day-to-day life.
However, until that time comes, I will do my best to seek out as many opportunities to submerge into the cold wild waters. The Wild Swimming Diaries intend to be a place to keep this commitment in check and hold myself accountable. If they motivate me to enter the water more and inspire at least one other to do the same then they will have been a success.
I will be posting these diary entries as short blog posts. They will aim to contain some consistent metrics as I document my swims throughout the year and as we continue through winter
So make sure to follow for more wild swimming content!